The Schwartz Report

VMware Brings Adaptiva to AirWatch UEM for Windows 10 Deployments

In its latest effort to extend its AirWatch platform beyond core mobile device management (MDM), VMware today said it has tapped Adaptiva to integrate its OneSite peer-to-peer software distribution tool with its new AirWatch Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) offering.

Adaptiva's OneSite is a popular option among large enterprises with Microsoft's System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) for distributing OS and software images with thousands of client endpoints. OneSite's appeal is its efficient form of software distribution via content delivery networks (CDNs) using peer-to-peer distribution across end user endpoints, rather than a server-based approach. Designed specifically to bring this software distribution capability to SCCM, the pact with VMware, its first with the company, will extend OneSite's use, while also offering an important option to organizations with the new AirWatch UEM.

OneSite will be built into AirWatch UEM and offered as an option sold by VMware. AirWatch UEM, launched in October, looks to broaden the focus of MDM to include configuration and lifecycle management. It's regarded as the most formidable alternative to Microsoft's Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS), which includes its Intune device management tool and Azure Active Directory, Azure Information Protection and the ability to deliver Remote Desktop Services (RDS).

The new AirWatch UEM aims to include MDM but also is a platform for deployments, security and managing all endpoints. Aditya Kunduri, VMware's product marketing manager for AirWatch UEM, said UEM was designed to align with Windows 10's modern application framework, while allowing organizations to continue to run Win32 applications in their native modes.

"IT can now deploy their traditional Win32 applications, be it EXEs, MSIs or ZIP files from the same platform, and also their existing mobile applications," Kunduri explained. "And it's not just about pushing down an application -- they can also tie these applications with additional lifecycle management features such as attaching dependencies to those apps."

For example, if you are deploying WebEx Outlook plugins to your end users who don't have Outlook, it would be a waste of network resources, he said. "We provide this intelligent platform that can manage those features alongside just pushing down the app. And on top of that, you can manage the application patches when they're available and attach these to those files too," he said.

Kunduri argued that deploying to PCs that might have gigabytes of data is no longer practical with traditional PC Lifecycle Management (PCLM) tools (especially for organizations with thousands or tens of thousands of devices) because they must rely on distribution management nodes and servers, which provide significant overhead and points of failure. "You don't need to manage those distribution servers and distribution points anymore because it's all delivered from the cloud and directly to the peers. Now you're reducing your network and bandwidth infrastructure so it's a huge cost savings," he said.

Adaptiva COO Jim Souders said MDM platforms will continue to evolve into a common platform for managing all endpoints over the next few years. "Ultimately you will get to a common means of which to deploy software across disparate types of device types," Souders said. "Obviously, Microsoft and VMware are two of the bigger players going down that path. I think that's where there will be potential redistribution or affirmation of players."

Microsoft is planning to activate "Insights for MyAnalytics" sometime late this month for most Office 365 users, but the ability of organizations to manage this feature won't be available until possibly mid-May.